Memory
by loveiscrazy-bebe
Summary: After realizing he loves Ginny too much to let her suffer, Draco decides to end their relationship. Unfortunately this involves erasing all her memories of him. What happens when they meet again?
1. What is Love?

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me... I own nothing... blah blah  
Sorry if there's an abundance of writing errors-- misplaced modifiers, parallelism, etc. I tried to maintain the flow of the story. This is my first story so I hope you're not too harsh in your reviews... and yes I know it sucks.

Somehow, a spat between Ginny and Draco turned into a full-blooded argument; soon, angry words were being exchanged as the sound of their voices rose into the night. Draco irately grabbed a heavy crystal vase and hurled it in Ginny's direction. Never prone to violence against the woman he loved, he was stunned at his own actions. The next thing he knew, time seemed to freeze as the vase hurtled towards Ginny and shattered after smashing into her head. He let out a strangled cry as he watched her crumple to the ground, then rushed to her limp body. All he could see was blood, a tangle of red hair and broken crystal.

* * *

Draco awoke at St. Mungo's on a lumpy couch in the corner of the waiting room with a throbbing headache. He suddenly remembered the events of the night before and let out a groan. Ginny was probably dead now. The only spot of brightness in his ugly gray life… and he had destroyed it. "If she's gone, I'll never be able to forgive myself!!" he whispered savagely. Burying his fingers in his tangled hair he was suddenly confronted with a flashback.

_It was right after the two had eloped. He had been watching his new wife happily as they unpacked boxes of old things into their new apartment. She had been wearing an old shirt of his with the sleeves rolled up and cut-off sweatpants. Her hair was messily pulled back in a pony-tail and her glowing face was prettily framed by the tendrils of hair that had escaped her hair-tie. They had been laughing and joking with each other… Draco felt the happiest he had in a long time. Abruptly, a shadow fell over them and Draco's grin faded. Ginny didn't see the intruder, but Draco saw Lucius, his father standing over them with a murderous look on his face. His wand had been pulled out and he was brandishing it menacingly. "Draco," he drawled "You haven't properly introduced me to your _charming _new bride". Ginny smiled warmly but Draco knew something was amiss. He didn't trust his father at all and heard the venom in his voice- the voice that had plagued him throughout his life. "You don't understand the humiliation do you?" he snarled "Hearing of your little elopement with this tramp from a stranger… the Drummonds. Imagine that! And they even congratulated me. Why should I be happy? Of your marriage to a filthy Weasley!" he spat out the word as if he couldn't bear saying it. "You're a disgrace to the Malfoy line!" Lucius pulled out his wand. "Crucio!" Ginny fell to the ground, writhing in pain before falling unconscious. Minutes later, Draco was hit by the same curse as he fell to the ground. _

He shook his head, trying to clear it of those horrible memories. Seeing Ginny in pain nearly broke his heart the first time, but the second was so much worse. The knowledge that he had inflicted pain upon her and possibly even killed her after taking that oath to never let harm come to her was too much. He broke down and shed bitter tears. It was the first time he had cried since he was 7 and his father had killed his puppy, then inflicted the Cruciatus curse on him for showing weakness. The wall he had built around himself and others broke- the wall that had kept him untouchable, unaffected, emotionless and able to withhold tears. He cried for Ginny, for his mother who had lived years of suffering with his father before being murdered, for himself and his absolute worthlessness, for his father's victims, for Ginny's family, and for all those years he had held his tears in. The hysterical sobbing echoed in the empty room and it seemed as if Draco's world had suddenly caved in and trapped him inside with his misery. It seemed as if he cried for hours, until a kind nurse (who introduced herself as Kate Sykes) had come in, sat beside him holding his head in her lap and stroking his hair. When he was done, she asked him what the matter was, probably not expecting the torrent of words that escaped his mouth. He told her everything… of their families' enmity, of they way he had tortured Ginny in school, then fallen in love with her in his last year at Hogwarts, the memories of their time together, riding on broomsticks and practicing on the Quidditch pitch, of their marriage, how Ginny had always wanted a large wedding with all the family, how she had to give up the people she loved for him, how caring and compassionate Ginny was, how beautiful she was, how he was a stupid git., the events that had happened last night, of his evil father, of not becoming a death eater, how Ginny's brother Ron would never reconcile with him, no matter what . The nurse listened sympathetically throughout this long confession and was touched by the young man's love for his wife. His eyes were filled with pain, anguish and guilt. "…and now I've killed her," he finished.

* * *

The healers looked on despondently at the young woman who had arrived in their ward earlier that day. She was still unconscious and was in danger of slipping into a coma… or dying. Her husband seemed to be going crazy with worry and grief, but they were doing the best they could. Any improvement would be relayed to him immediately.

* * *

The two weeks that Ginny lay in St. Mungo's without any sign of improvement… hovering between life and death were taxing on everyone. Draco was gradually allowed to sit by her bedside and he did this 24/7. His face was paler, hollow and thinner due to his lack of eating and sleeping. A nurse eventually had to take him away and force feed him. Two days later, he was back at Ginny's side. One afternoon, as Draco was studying Ginny's face again, he noticed a flutter of her eyelids. An instant later, it was gone and all was still. He couldn't help but wonder if it was just an illusion caused by days without sleep, but he noticed it again and sat quietly in anticipation. Suddenly, Ginny's eyes flew open and Draco let out a long breath. Tears began welling up again and he cried with joy, until he realized bitterly that he probably shouldn't be here. He had caused so much pain in her young life, was it worth it for her to have more? Lucius was in Azkaban but they would never have a happy life together. He loved her too much… the love would eventually consume them both. Instead he would have to let her go. "Goodbye, Ginny" he whispered. "Remember always that I love you and I will love you….even past the day I die." He slipped the wedding band of her finger and put it in his pocket. No, she couldn't have any memory of me, he thought to himself. I'll ask for a memory charm, to erase all of them. She would be able to start a new life, with a husband who would win her family's love. She would have children... a house full of them… and grandchildren…Yes, he resolved, I'll get the best to do this procedure. The marriage will be annulled. I'll leave her a house in London and one by the beach. I'll disappear and give her a second chance.

5 years later…

It was the day of the hospital benefit and Ginny had butterflies in her stomach. These social functions always make me nervous, but I'm head of the Gorsemoor Magical Hospital and this is necessary to receive funding from all those rich philanthropist-wannabes, she thought to herself. Her mother was also hinting that it would be a good place to meet eligible wizards. Hah, as if I'd ever marry one of those rich, stuck-up, I-pretend-I-care-but-I-really-don't-give-a-damn-what-other-people-think-because-I'm-a-selfish-boar guys, she thought, but perhaps I'll talk to them, just to get my precious mum off my back with her "You're an old maid at 29… why your brother Ron's already married and has given me 3 darling grandchildren!" speech.

Ginny stood in her closet holding up dress after dress in an attempt to decide which one would suit the occasion the best. She finally chose a long black dress robe that hugged her body and flared out slightly at her hips. Her hair was swept up in an elegant up-do and charmed in place. Her necklace was a borrowed chain of diamonds from her rich friend Alicia, who was going to be there. For her make-up, she painted her lips a soft pink and charmed her eyelashes to stay long and dark. Perfect, she thought.

Okay so St. Mungo's is for "Magical Maladies and Injuries", and Ginny's injury is not quite magical… but she can still be there can't she?


	2. Meetings

Warning: This chapter's a lot worse than the first one… went in a weird direction. I had planned it to be a little more angsty but it turned out confusing and mixed-up. Draco's quite OOC… Ginny too. Anyway, here it is.

"Ginny, dahhhling!" Mrs. Landish cried while waving her over frantically. "Ahh, you look mahhhvelous! Your little estaaablishment is doing quite well isn't it?" Ginny only wanted to get away from these stuck-up old ladies who wore too much make-up and spoke in posh accents, but it wasn't quite possible considering their enormous efforts of trying to act like personal friends. She was forced to nod and act polite and tolerate the countless "Dear"s and "Honey"s and "Darling"s.

She finally slipped away while instructing Alicia to act as host in her place. Wandering, through the large mansion in which the benefit was held in, Ginny noticed the beauty of the structure. Finally, she found a quiet room and kicked off her sandals, sinking her feet into the soft plush carpet and sighing. From the corner of the room, two silver eyes watched her warily. She noticed them with a start and began to back away towards the door slowly, keeping her eyes on the man sitting in the corner, half draped in shadows. He had a raw, dangerous look on his handsome face. Then again, she thought, handsome is not the right word to describe him. He's beautiful, with features like a fallen angel's, a soft mouth and long blond hair. "It's okay, I won't hurt you," he offered, but his tone was sardonic and there was a touch of bitterness to it. "Ginny Weasley… I'm Draco Malfoy, head of Malfoy & Zabini Industries." The bitterness was gone and instead replaced by a stiff businesslike tone.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Malfoy. It was so kind of you to appear at the benefit."

He didn't respond so she slowly turned and left wondering about the mystery that surrounded this man.

Draco had been forced into the stupid party by Blaise, his business partner and old friend. He knew very well that Ginny was going to be there, and dreaded seeing her, even though he knew she wouldn't approach him. Hell, why would she? He also knew from experience that these types of functions weren't enjoyable and he would only stay there for as long as he was required to. Shortly after arriving, he had ducked into an empty room and sat there, miserably. His pensive mood was broken when another guest intruded, possibly looking for an escape. Hmm, might as well strike up a conversation, he thought and lifted his head to see who it was. When his eyes met hers, a jolt shook through his body and it was as if his heart had been wrenched out of his ribcage. Ginny… why, she's more beautiful then I last saw her. You idiot, he rebuked himself, the last time you saw her was when she was lying on a hospital bed half-dead! Then he shook away his thoughts and introduced himself, trying to keep his voice level and void of emotion. She had a bewildered look on her face and it was clear he had scared her. Oh well, maybe that teaches her to stay out of Draco Malfoy's life.

Blaise was worried about Draco. His friend hadn't been the same since his wife's death five years ago. Who was his wife anyway? All he had heard was that she was breathtakingly beautiful and well… perfect. But what was the point of getting married when you could have all the girls in the world, and not just one? Blaise smiled at his picture in Witch Weekly. He had dethroned Draco as England's Hottest Millionaire and had won the honor year after year- being extremely rich, good-looking and debonair. Zabini hit the London clubs every night and graced Muggle and Wizarding tabloids alike. As he saw his friend approaching, dragging his feet and brooding, he sighed inwardly and threw up his hands. Draco was just no fun anymore.

"Hey Draco! That Weasley girl's getting pretty hotttt…" he licked his lips jokingly. "You want her? Speak now or she's mine! I bet I could have her in bed in no time. No girl can resist these 6 feet 3 inches of pure man!"

Draco felt his blood boil. There was no way Zabini could speak of Ginny in that way! "Shut the FUCK up Zabini!" he snarled.

"Ahhh… still got that 'I'm so much better than those muggle-loving Weasleys' attitude, eh? Well, I'm past that. After all, you can't discriminate when a girl looks that delicious!" he replied, mistaking the reason for Draco's anger for disgust aimed at the Weasleys.

Draco couldn't take any more of this bad-mouthing. He stormed out furiously and was halfway into the street when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around quickly and was about to yell at whoever was disturbing him when he came face to face with the person he had been thinking about constantly for the last 5 years. The anger melted off his face and was replaced by deep sadness.

Ginny had hurried down the hall in confusion. Who was this man? Malfoy was such a famous name, a dark family of Death Eaters, one was even in Azkaban. This man though, his eyes spoke of pain, of love… sadness, and then his had become blank, expertly concealing all emotion. Ginny hurriedly grabbed Alicia and pulled her into the powder room.

"Where were you?!" Alicia cried out in exasperation. "Those supporters are so hard to keep at bay! By the way, did you see Blaise Zabini?" she asked slyly.

"No and I have no intention of ever meeting that arrogant bastar-" she stopped herself when she saw her friend's hurt look. "Um, well he's looking good- Anyway, I met up with this man… Draco Malfoy. Can you tell me about him?"

Her friend was instantly appeased. "Oooh, sure. He graduated from Hogwarts the year before we did. He married this mystery girl a couple of year later. She died 5 years ago and he hasn't been the same ever since. Anyway, he's this head of a huge corporation, along with _Blaise_. He's super rich and he comes from a really old wizarding family, devoted to "purification of the wizarding race" and all. His father's even in Azkaban. He's not that nice, as opposed to the charming Mr. Zabini."

It was quite obvious Alicia was falling for Blaise and Ginny only rolled her eyes at this. Although the two of them had been working together lately, they really didn't know each other very well and had little in common. Alicia Ellis had been in Ravenclaw and the Ellises were always at the top of Wizard society. She had been a ditzy rich girl but now held Ginny as a constant companion. She spoke with the same contempt of the rich as Ginny did, even though her family was one of the richest in Britain. Alicia knew almost nothing about Ginny's life during the period of time stretching from 2 years after graduation to 5 years ago and Ginny never spoke about it.

Ginny, being the empathetic person she was, felt she had to help Draco. When she spotted him running angrily out of the mansion, she followed him, making sure to keep enough distance between them. When she decided he had cooled down enough, she approached him, lightly tapping his shoulder and preparing something comforting to say.

The glare he gave her almost stopped her, but she saw his face turn mournful and continued. "I-I'm sorry about your wife." She offered. She almost expected him to get angry and spew hateful words but instead, he leaned in and kissed her, gently as if he wanted to tell her so much but couldn't express it. She felt him relax and sink into the kiss. Her heart was racing as she wrapped her arms around his neck; it seemed almost as if he couldn't get enough. Then as suddenly as it started, Draco broke away, disentangled himself and walked away, leaving a shocked Ginny standing on the sidewalk alone.

* * *

Draco had been restless in his flat ever since his encounter with that certain woman. He now lay on his bed, hair tousled and shirt buttons undone. His heart was aching with longing as he pictured her face. Damn, he had been so stupid. Now how was he supposed to explain himself? Oh hi, I kissed you and acted like I liked you, but I'm really your ex-husband and no one knows it… well, I can't see you again so bye? Being the Mystery Man was so aggravating. Why are you such a coward Malfoy? He saw his reflection in the mirror and hated it. You thought everything would be fine, but no. There's a lot of unfinished business that you ran away from. You're always running away. Does this make you happy? The only woman you've ever loved will haunt you forever. You have all these memories, and she has none! You can't touch her; she can't touch you. Now she probably thinks you're this depressed, impulsive psycho. You're _obsessed_.

He pulled out a drawer and absentmindedly leafed through sheets of papers, bundles of letters, pictures and journals. Taking a photograph he watched the man with light blond hair kiss the girl with auburn hair. They were both happy and laughing. He watched the scene over and over before taking out silver lighter and burning it.

Ginny lay on her stomach on the floor playing music on the CD player Hermione bought for her last Christmas. After a while she had gotten it to work and it was an endless source of amusement for her dad. Right now, she was listening to bittersweet songs and staring out the window and into the night sky. She blew out the last candle and sat there in the dark thinking. Pretty soon, tears were flowing down her face. Her heart was heavy and she had no idea why.

* * *

And now for a little bit of randomness:

Torn- Natalie Imbruglia

I thought I saw a man brought to life  
He was warm, he came around like he was dignified  
He showed me what it was to cry  
Well you couldn't be that man I adored  
You don't seem to know, don't seem to care what your heart is for  
But I don't know him anymore  
There's nothing where he used to lie  
My conversation has run dry  
That's what's going on, nothing's fine I'm torn  
  
I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel  
I'm cold and I am shamed lying naked on the floor  
Illusion never changed into something real  
I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn  
You're a little late, I'm already torn  
  
So I guess the fortune teller's right  
Should have seen just what was there and not some holy light  
To crawl beneath my veins and now  
I don't care, I have no luck, I don't miss it all that much  
There's just so many things that I can't touch, I'm torn  
  
I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel  
I'm cold and I am shamed lying naked on the floor  
Illusion never changed into something real  
I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn  
You're a little late, I'm already torn. torn.  
  
There's nothing where he used to lie  
My inspiration has run dry  
That's what's going on, nothings right, I'm torn  
  
I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel  
I'm cold and I am shamed lying naked on the floor  
Illusion never changed into something real  
I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn  
I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel  
I'm cold and I'm ashamed bound and broken on the floor  
You're a little late, I'm already torn


	3. Edit

HEY!

Sorry I haven't been updating but Thalia05- thanks for the reminder! I'll be back soon.


End file.
